We Tried Boy Smells 2.0’s New Scents
On April 11, Boy Smells — the brand that collaborated with Grace Jones and Kacey Musgraves and was known for its Kush scent — underwent a rebrand. Overnight, literally, the Los Angeles–based fragrance brand switched out its sculptural black-and-pink packaging for sleeker, more colorful glass bottles that remind Cut editors of vapes. People were … not happy.
The perfume lineup looks different, and some beloved scents, including LES, are missing from the site. In their place is a new posse of Gen Z–friendly gourmands: Coco Cream, Rosy Cheeks, and Sugar Baby. Even the candles aren’t the same — the shiny black jar and text-filled pink label duo is no more. Users on TikTok have also expressed that “Boy Smells 2.0” feels like a blatant departure from its original queer-coded vibe (the brand launched a poppers-scented candle, after all). Creator @thehermeshippie noted, “What I really loved about them was their insistence on not just being unisex but being genderful,” she said. “It was just very much built into the core DNA of who they were … But any reference to any context that is outside of conforming to the gender binary or just anything marginalized, woke, has been erased.”
However, Boy Smells reports (tries to convince us?) that customers are loving the rebrand. “It resulted in the best week in sales the brand has experienced in four years, nearly selling out on Sephora, and acquiring new customers at a rate it had historically been unable to do,” the brand said in a statement via email. “In fact, the rebrand was necessary — Boy Smells had suffered four years of declining sales and was on the verge of being left by its retailers. The products perform better, last longer, are less expensive, and are still effective.” The brand added that the company plans to rerelease its original scents and that it is “still queer-owned and led” and “backed by a group of gay investors.” (Who exactly are those gay investors? That’s yet to be revealed.)
As big fans of Boy Smells 1.0, we had to experience the new scents for ourselves to collect our thoughts on the rebranding. Read on to see what the Cut team thinks.
“This is like a millennial mall throwback,” says Chantal Fernandez, features writer. “I’m being transported to another time and place right now.”
“I liked Coco Cream at first but then it started to smell like corn after a while on the skin,” says Danya Issawi, fashion news writer. “I do want to eat Rosy Cheeks and would wear it when I’m feeling cute and sweet.”
“I’m so sad that these are not gender neutral,” says Brooke LaMantia, editorial assistant. “I love Woodphoria, but these are just too sweet for me. RIP Kush and the OG packaging.”
“Rosy Cheeks is a little more sophisticated than I thought at first. This is kind of a stretch, but I could almost call this an ume plum. It’s a lot. It’s not a friendly, in-the-office smell,” says Emily Gould, features writer. “I thought Sugar Baby was straight-up gross. It’s got sort of a bootleg stripper-perfume vibe. Like, if this is you being a sugar baby, you are not that rich.”
“I’m from Florida, and there’s a primal part of me that loves Coco Cream. But the longer I wear it, the more I want it off of me,” says Emma Oleck, fashion market editor. “It’s very Victoria’s Secret.”
“I like Rosy Cheeks because it’s kind of powdery. I like it but not enough to keep it,” says Chinea Rodriguez, shopping writer. “I think I’m too old to smell like this. I think I’d like it if it were a body wash or a candle.”
“Overall, I felt like I was in that episode of SpongeBob SquarePants where he and Patrick are dashing through the perfume section at a mall. Do with that information what you will,” says Bianca Nieves, senior shopping editor. “I will forever be a Boy Smells Flor de la Virgen fan. I absolutely loved that smell.”
“This type of packaging and these sorts of gourmands are on trend, so it makes sense for a brand to launch them. Sweet scents aren’t for me, but I can see the teens loving the new fragrances,” says Carol Lee, beauty writer. “I do wish the caps were more secure, though. One wrong move, and they could fly across the room.”
“Rosy Cheeks smells like my favorite budget-friendly nail salon — the scent is very sweet, potent, and goes straight to the head (overdoing it will give everyone around you a headache). I agree with the rest of the group that it gives mallcore, but honestly? I like the candylike nostalgia of it. Sue me!” says Hanna Flanagan, shopping writer and editor.
“When I was a teenager, I’d go to the mall and spray at least four fragrances on me, usually from Victoria’s Secret or Bath & Body Works. By the time I got home, they were all bonded together for an overpowering sweet scent. When I smelled Rosy Cheeks, it brought me back to that. I really wanted to love it, but it’s a bit too immature for my scent taste,” says Asia Milia Ware, beauty editor. “I don’t hate the bottles, but I’ll be holding on to my last bits of OG Boy Smells, like my Italian Kush room spray, which I still use daily.”
“If it were a vape or a body wash, I’d use it,” says Joanna Nikas, deputy style editor.